Medical Update #1 on Jennifer and our Baby Girl Sophia

Dear Friends,

This blog originally was started to give one place for updates when we were pregnant with our daughter Grace. People could come here any time and find the most up to date information and leave comments and I could access it anywhere and share with you the exact situation at it developed. It has rambled on since then but it is time to go back to its original purpose.

We are currently at 25 weeks and 1 day in our pregnancy with our daughter. After experiencing complications with our daughter Grace (see June-December, 2005 for all the details) we have high-risk pregnancies with two beautiful children and no miscarriages. Grace developed 3rd degree heart block in the womb and received a pacemaker 6 weeks after she was born.

Since that time they have learned more about this particular antibody that causes heart block and have developed a test to see if it is developing before it actually becomes irreversible. More than that, they have learned that 4mg of dexamethasone taken daily before it moves to 2nd or 3rd degree heart block on only stops the progression of heart block but reverses it back to absolute normal with no heart block later in pregnancy or after the baby is born.

Things were going fine for us and we were monitoring the situation aggressively. However, on August 10th the markers that we were monitoring started to go past the danger point and we decided on August 12th to begin the steroid treatment. By our appointment on August 17th the heart rate (p-r interval) was back within totally normal range. For those who are interested it has been consistently at 113-117 and had been as high as 146 (with a few over 150). Normal range is 110-140.

Shortly after this the entire family became ill, starting with the children and then me. It seemed to spare Jennifer at first and we were hopeful that it would miss her. We all had flu type symptoms that seemed to possibly by N1H1. The kids and I recovered quickly from the most severe symptoms. However, around August 17 or 18 Jennifer started showing minor symptoms and by the 19th was seriously ill. Even before testing (which we have yet to receive the results!) she went on a 10 day regimen of Tamiflu © and has only started to feel better this past Monday.

We went in to see the specialist for our twice weekly visit to Fargo and the heart situation is still completely stable and we are hopeful that it will stay that way. However, they now noticed that the amniotic fluid level is dangerously low. I’ve learned that 10cc is a good range to have and they get concerned if they cannot measure 4 pockets of fluid less than 8cc. We had this problem with Grace and if it dropped below 5cc, Jenn had to go to the hospital for inpatient bed rest.

The fluid level was 4.7 on Tuesday.

Strangely the doctor sent us home and told us to return on Wednesday. On Wednesday the fluid level had dropped to 3.9cc and Jennifer was admitted to MeritCare Hospital in Fargo. They have her on oral fluids and an IV in hopes of raising the level of amniotic fluid as a consequence. Initial tests today show an improvement as the fluid level was at 4.8cc.

We don’t know what caused the low fluid level. With our daughter Grace the doctors just assumed it was a byproduct off the heart block. But with this baby not having heart block we are starting to wonder if it is because of the dexamethasone. There is an off chance that it Jennifer could have gestational diabetes so we are going to ask the doctor to have her tested for that because that is on the list of other possible causes. We have been told that this drug does sometimes cause that or it could be that Jennifer is dehydrated and doesn’t know it.

They are also giving Jennifer several rounds of high dose steroids to help the baby’s lungs mature quicker in case we have to deliver before full term. They did this with Grace and Alexander as well and both of them prove daily that they have fully developed lungs!

Please continue to pray for Jennifer’s health as well as the baby’s. Specifically, pray that the fluid level increases, that Jenn can come home from the hospital, that there are no further complications in the pregnancy and that the baby will come to full term.

If you have any other questions feel free to email me through this blog or directly. I will try to post answers and give further updates on this blog page.

One further thing, I would be remiss if I did not mention the absolute love and support that I have felt from the church family here in Grand Forks. At the moment it is difficult to think clearly enough to even know what we need but people have been wonderful in showing love and support and creatively trying to think for us on what we might need down the pike. I have often commented that the church should be a foretaste of heaven and these last few weeks I have had a little glimpse of it here in this quiet Midwestern town.

Thanks!

With much love and appreciation,

David Monreal